The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will start their season on Sept. 9, or three days sooner compared to almost all the NFL teams, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium to begin their Super Bowl title defense. When asked for his reaction following their 23-16 preseason win over the Houston Texans about their clash with the Cowboys, quarterback Tom Brady said he loves “that sooner game, that means we did something good”, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Brady added that it would be good to start the season against the Cowboys, whom he described as a good team.
“Dallas has a lot of firepower, a lot of draft picks. They got some new things we’re gonna have to prepare for,” said Brady, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 154 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin as he helped the Buccaneers clinch their first preseason win.
Brady says ‘you got to start season the right way’
“You gotta start the season the right way,” Brady said, referring to their clash against the Cowboys. Brady said the Buccaneers had a decent training camp before the team makes the final cuts to trim the roster to 53 men. “And it’s always a tough time for all the players and the coaches. Nobody like this time of year for those reasons,” said Brady. But after the cuts, the 44-year-old Brady said the Buccaneers must come together quickly and get prepared to play their first biggest game of the year.
“There’s a lot of big games, but the first biggest game of the year is Thursday night,” said Brady, who has a 3-1 record in season openers. Brady won his first three openers during his stint with the New England Patriots but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 42-27, in 2017. Brady will try to lead the Buccaneers to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, something that he accomplished in 2003-04 seasons with the Patriots.
Alex Cappa keeps starting right guard position
Per David Harrison of Bucs Nation, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said during his Sunday’s press conference that right guard Alex Cappa has solidified his role as the team’s starting right guard following his impressive performance against the Texans. “Cap probably graded out the highest of the offensive line.
He had a really good ball game so that’s pretty solidified," said Arians. Aaron Stinnie is expected to play backup to Cappa as he also ensured his spot in the 53-man roster. “We're very confident in both those guys,” Arians pointed out. Against the Texans, Arians said cornerback Dee Delaney stood out and helped his cause to be part of the 53-man roster after he got two picks against Houston. The Buccaneers are still considering Delaney, Herb Miller, Antonio Hamilton and Chris Wilcox for the fifth and probably sixth cornerback spot.
